New Q?
by gbkgreenleaf
Summary: When a troubled yet brilliant young ensign attracts the attention of Q, Captain Picard and his crew must convince her not to renounce humanity in exchange for the powers of the Q Continuum.
1. Ensign Bell

Disclaimer: No one but the ensign belongs to me. Have pity on this thirteen-year-old and don't sue.

Guinan fingered the wide brim of her spangled red hat with one dark finger, her other hand swirling the bright blue contents of a glass on the bar. She posed the image of being nonchalant, but in truth her mind was churning. She was ordinarily totally impossible to faze, but now her heightened sense of danger was pealing madly. Lost in thought, she was suddenly roused by a voice with a familiar Mediterranean accent.

"May I have one of those?" said Counselor Deanna Troi, sitting at the bar and gesturing to the drink at Guinan's elbow.

"It's Romulan Ale," said the bartender. "It has a bit of a kick."

"I need something strong," sighed the counselor, brushing a stray black curl off the shoulder of her puce jumpsuit.

"Trouble?" asked Guinan, pouring out the sapphire liquor into another glass and sliding it over to Deanna.

"A case of mine is causing difficulties," answered the counselor wearily, accepting the brew. "Ensign Deidra Bell. She's antisocial, argumentative, and, as far as I can tell, totally friendless. That only makes her worse."

"Bell, huh? Didn't she just transfer aboard?"

"She's fresh out of Starfleet Academy," answered Deanna. "Apparently she's something of a prodigy. She graduated the Academy summa cum laude at eighteen and got her first real assignment as an engineer right here on the _Enterprise_."

"You'd think Starfleet would know not to send green kids onto a starship of this size. So she's not holding up very well, is she?" Guinan continued.

"She's an orphaned teenager sent into space and asked to perform difficult duties without complaint," Deanna explained, taking a draft of ale and choking. "That's the worst possible combination. Now Geordi's sent her in for counseling and tried to dump some of his problem onto me. I've got a meeting with her in a few minutes."

"My only advice is to be patient," mused the bartender. "Good luck with that."

Deanna smiled as she rose from her seat and headed out of Ten-Forward. She strolled along the corridor to her office, pausing outside as she saw that it was already occupied.

"You are precisely 15.9 seconds late," came Ensign Bell's clipped mezzo voice. "I expected you to be punctual."

"I'm so sorry, Deidra," apologized Deanna. "I was just having a talk with a friend."

Bell folded her arms defensively, a scornful expression on her face. Her thick honey blond hair was twisted into a knot so severe it looked like it was set in iron. She had a sharp nose and a wry, mobile mouth often contorted into a derisive sneer. Her large eyes were a dusky velvet brown, so dark they were as black and cold as the bottom of a well. They were a stark contrast to her light hair, giving her a striking, foreign look. She might have been considered quite handsome if she were kinder.

"So," Deanna began, sitting at her desk across from the ensign. "How have you been doing? Has your work been stressful in any way this week?"

"Nothing _I_ can't handle," Bell answered shortly, "but those idiots I have to work with are totally inefficient."

Deanna said nothing, instead reaching out with her carefully trained mind in an attempt to get an empathetic lock on Bell's unfathomable emotions. To her surprise, she met strong mental shields in the ensign's mind, blocking her from entering. No person but a powerful adult Betazoid was supposed to be able to produce shields of that intensity.

"You're messing around up here, aren't you?" said Bell, tapping her temple with a long finger. "It won't do you any good."

"So I've noticed," said Deanna, barely keeping her shock under control. "Not many humanoids can resist a telepathic touch of any kind, at least not as powerfully as you do. Can you explain how you can?"

"I've always been this way," Bell answered, calming slightly. "My mom--" She stopped sharply, taking a breath before continuing, "My mom always said that no one could read me, even when I was a baby."

"Interesting," Deanna commented, making a note on a PADD. "Your mother and father were medical specialists if I'm not mistaken."

"What do they have to do with anything?" Bell snapped suddenly. "Nothing can bring them back now."

"A person's parents are important figures in his or her behavior and feelings--" Deanna began.

Bell cut her off, demanding, "Spare me the psychobabble, _Counselor_." She pronounced Deanna's title like an insult. "As long as I do my job like I'm ordered there's nothing we will ever have to say to each other." She promptly turned her heels and stormed out of the office.

Deanna leaned back in her chair, feeling windblown. True, the session had not gone well, but she had learned an important fact. Lonely Ensign Bell missed her parents.

Meanwhile, things were going quite smoothly on the bridge. The only necessary duties were fairly routine and a blanket of calm had settled over the senior staff. Captain Picard paced around, checking control panels and speaking with the officers. Then the communications console buzzed into action, sounding Guinan's succinct hail, "Ten-Forward to bridge."

"Bridge," answered Picard, slightly concerned. Guinan rarely called for any reason, so the matter must be dire.

"Captain," said the bartender, "_he's _here. On the ship somewhere."

"Are you sure?" asked Picard urgently, knowing instantly who "he" must be.

"I'm positive. I can sense him from a lightyear away."

"Affirmative. Bridge out." The captain looked at Lieutenant Worf. "I want security sweeps on the double. Find him before he causes any trouble."

"Yes, sir," growled Worf immediately, drawing his phaser and heading for the turbolift.

Picard then turned to Commander Riker. "Number One, you have the bridge. I'm going to contact Starfleet Command in my ready room and see if we can't sort this out before it gets out of hand."

He stepped through the double doors of his ready room only to be greeted by a painfully familiar salutation.

"Hello, Jean-Luc," said Q, heels up on Picard's desk. He was dressed in a smart Starfleet admiral's uniform and looked unpleasantly comfortable right where he was.

Picard swore fluently in French, glaring at the menace in his chair.

"Language, Jean-Luc!" cried Q, getting to his feet. "We can't have that falling on the tender ears of the women and children aboard, now can we?" He waited for the unforthcoming answer, finally saying, "Is that the hello you give an old friend?" He then proceeded to stroll over to Picard, seize him by the head, and kiss him on both cheeks.

The captain jerked away, seething. "You are no friend here, Q. What will you be studying about us now?"

"What made you think I'm here for you, _mon capitain_?" answered Q innocently.

"What else would you come here for but to further torment my crew?

"I didn't come for study purposes, Jean-Luc, despite the fact that you are all quite fascinating subjects," Q said, his cheerful countenance not skipping a beat. "I came for a certain crew member."

"Which member?" asked Picard, curiosity piqued despite himself.

"A certain Miss Deidra Bell."


	2. Nova's Power

The captain stared at Q in wonder, asking, "What does Ensign Bell have to do with anything? She's newly transferred and quite the nuisance so far."

"So I've heard," answered Q cheerily, "and I happen to have a very special affinity for nuisances."

"Being one yourself," quipped Picard, looking on the other with distaste.

"Precisely," said Q with a courtly bow, totally unfazed. "I have been monitoring Miss Bell's actions and thought processes and I must admit that they fascinate me. She is so much more advanced than the usual brand of human. Defiant, independent---I must say I am impressed."

"What do you intend to do with her?" demanded Picard, worried over the youthful ensign despite his former critical comments.

"I intend," began Q, "to give her immortality, omnipotence, and the awesome power that goes with it. We in the Continuum have agreed to let such an extraordinary individual as Miss Bell into our ranks."

"You will not," said Picard with authority, his hooded blue eyes sparking with skillfully suppressed rage. "She is a member of my crew and under my jurisdiction."

"Do you recall her free will, Jean-Luc?" Q reminded him. "The choice is hers. She is no doubt old enough to make her own decision in this matter."

"Giving that kind of power to a very young, unstable woman is dangerous," the captain insisted. "She could destroy us all _and_ defy you just as well as you defy me."

"She would not defy a friend," said Q. "And I will be her friend. The only one she has on this ship, from what I have observed."

"That situation is of her own making."

Q smiled. "We'll see," he said, twirling in place and vanishing.

He reappeared in Ensign Bell's quarters. She was seated at her computer, filing engineering reports. Looking up and seeing the intruder, she instantly jumped to her feet and drew the phaser at her side. "Stand your ground, trespasser," she challenged.

"I am no trespasser," consoled Q, voice smooth.

"If you aren't, why didn't you enter from the door?"

"As you wish." He disappeared again and returned in the corridor, ringing Bell's buzzer.

She smiled despite herself and allowed him to enter again. "How did you manage that?" she asked, tucking her phaser back into its holster.

"I can manage many more things than that, my dear," he answered, raising his hand. The phaser on her belt flew into his waiting fingers.

"I've read about telekinesis in humanoids," said Bell, intrigued. She plucked the weapon from his hand and examined it. "But it's very rare. Only 1 out of 3000 species is said to have the gift."

"Perhaps you've heard of my species," Q commented. "I am Q of the Q Continuum."

"Q," Bell repeated. "I have heard of you. You've caused quite a bit of trouble for this ship. No one seems to think much of you."

"I prefer to think of myself as misunderstood," her companion protested. "I am merely a researcher curious about humanity. I only want to learn, to grasp the concepts of your race. I may be more powerful than your crewmates, but I mean no harm. Is that a crime?"

"I should think not!" said Bell, warming to him almost immediately. "I'm the same way! People are always looking down their noses at me just because I can do things faster and more efficiently. I'm more capable than all of them, but they just don't understand."

"We, Miss Bell, are beyond understanding," Q insisted. "You and I can do so much more than the ordinary."

"We're birds of a feather," Bell said, a true smile forming on her lips.

"And we should flock together," suggested Q, offering her his arm.

She rested her hand on it. "Where are we going?"

Sorrowful black eyes met mischievous brown eyes. "Do you trust me?" asked Q, attempting to stare her down.

She met his gaze resolutely. "Yes, I do."

"Than you'll have to see," he said mysteriously, and then, Ensign Bell on his arm, he whisked the two of them away.

They reappeared drifting freely in space. Bell's first impulse was to be terrified of the immediate annihilation that comes with entering the vacuum devoid of proper protection, but somehow she was not afraid. An incredible scene was unfolding, dazzling her.

She and Q were floating arm-in-arm in front of a star going nova. The star was pulsing in its terrible death throes, hissing with fiery fury at its own destruction.

Finally it imploded and exploded in a torrential blast of overwhelming energy and light, expelling shards of matter into the universe. The burst rattled Bell from inside out, but her godlike companion shielded her, allowing her to watch without experiencing injury.

Q gauged her wondered reaction and said, "Join me and you will have even greater power than this. Leave the pitiless humans behind and go above and beyond anything they could ever achieve. You have nothing on the _Enterprise_. In the Continuum, you have everything."

"Yes," she said simply. "Let me in and I will show the _Enterprise_ and everyone on her what I can really do."

Miles of terrible mischief showed in the smile Q gave her. He reached out and took her hand, holding it in an iron grip. Energy hummed along his fingers, entering hers. She gasped in pain, colors swirling before her eyes as she lost consciousness.

Bell awoke alone in her own quarters. For a moment she could not tell where she was, but once her head cleared she was full of purpose. Rising from her bunk, she experimentally held her hand before her, palm up. Concentrating, she willed for flame. Instantly a tongue of fire was hovering above her palm, undulating in the air. It leapt into bonfire intensity at Bell's very thought, then it extinguished itself according to her whim. She stood, staring at her palm for a moment before whispering, "All the universe is a stage, and now I'm the player."

Calmly she exited her door and strode off down the corridor.


	3. Human Love

Captain Picard sat on the edge of his chair on the bridge. No sign of Q's meddling had shown up so far, but he was not one to be caught unawares. He had ordered a security team keeping watch outside Ensign Bell's quarters in case any trouble should start. Yet still the entire ship hummed with apprehension, for it seemed that not a single soul could predict what Q could and would do to further his ends. Despite this tension, the bridge had been reasonably quiet for the past few hours.

"Systems status," requested the captain, drumming his hand on his beige armrest.

"All running smoothly, sir," said Geordi LaForge from his station. "Warp drive, sensors, helm, everything."

"Q might try any angle," Picard reminded him. "Check anything that might go wrong. Mr. Data, report."

"All's well at my station, sir," said the android, golden eyes blinking. Then suddenly he glanced back at his console. "Correction, Captain. We appear to be coming to a complete stop."

"He's right," said Geordi urgently, hands flying over the controls. "Warp drive is shutting down. No response from either the warp core or impulse power."

"It has to be Q," growled Worf. "That worm should be made into gagh."

"Q," said Picard, standing up and glaring at the viewscreen, "explain this now. I know you can hear me."

"I can hear you, Captain," came a dark female voice. It seemed to come from all around the room, echoing slightly. "But Q is not whom you seek."

"Who are you?" asked the captain. "Why have you halted our ship?"

A figure appeared on the bridge in front of the viewscreen. It was Ensign Bell, but different. Her blond hair was flying free and her uniform was replaced by a long white robe. But these were simple differences compared to her face. Her expression was twisted into Medusa's fury, her mouth blood red and set into a hard, cruel line. Her black eyes burned like hellfire in shadow and seemed to spit sparks at her former superiors. While the Q could be compared to gods, Bell had become a demon.

"The stopping of the _Enterprise_ was my will," she began, voice deepening. "I have been granted the power of the Q and will use it as _I_ please. You have no more jurisdiction over me, Captain. Not you, not your Chief Engineer. Not anymore." Her voice became black iron. "I will crush this ship and all aboard her. You held me back, scorned me for being superior to you. Now you will see who is truly scorned."

"Deidra," said Picard, reaching out with a hand, "I understand your anger towards myself and perhaps your coworkers. But there are hundreds of innocent civilians who showed you nothing but kindness and consideration."

"Mere humans," Bell dismissed them. "Insects compared to me now. Would you be against killing insects?"

Counselor Troi rose from her seat, saying in a low voice, "Think of your parents, Deidra. They were doctors, healers. Would they let hundreds die for nothing?"

"My parents are gone," said Bell harshly. "They cannot give opinions any longer."

"Yet you still love them," Picard interjected. "You understand what that means, don't you? Love is a human trait, an emotion you can no longer generate thanks to your hateful power. There are people aboard who love you whether you know it or not. Counselor Troi has cared for you emotionally for weeks. Commander LaForge has tried to help you by talking your fellow engineers into working better to accept you. What about when you broke your ankle? Doctor Crusher stayed up with you half the night just because you were frightened. Do you understand what it means to love anymore?"

"Captain Picard," said Bell, voice trembling slightly, "you sound more like my father than anyone else." Tears ran down from her fevered eyes and her thin body shook with sobs.

The captain stepped down and gently embraced the girl. Counselor Troi rested a hand on her shoulder and Geordi clasped the other.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, breaking away from them. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have listened to Q."

"Q thrives on antagonism," said Picard. "He's caused quite enough just within you."

"Oh, really?" came Q's voice as he appeared before them. "I offered the child what she wanted: power. I never assumed it would lead to antagonism."

Bell turned to him. "You slime," she said, dripping contempt. "You knew this would happen. You knew I would cause chaos in the universe. Then you would just sit back and watch the show, never getting in trouble with the rest of the Continuum." She reached out and slapped him smartly across the face. "Get off this ship," she ordered him as he gazed at her in surprise. "You know I can make you myself."

Q retorted, "Love is humanity's greatest flaw. It holds you back, keeps you from being the best."

"It also keeps us from overreaching ourselves," said Picard. "Without love, humanity would have torn itself apart eons ago. It keeps us the way we should be. You have no right to challenge or judge what love makes us."

"It makes us human," said Bell, smiling at the captain. "And I desire no more than to be human again. Take back your power, Q. I don't want it anymore."

"As you wish," he sneered, grabbing her wrist. Bell had the horrible sensation of being drained until, at last, he released her.

"Sayonara," he said. "My cohorts will want to hear of your exploits. Unfortunately, you were thwarted before you could exploit anyone." He vanished on the spot.

"Well, Deidra," said Counselor Troi. "What do you say to you and me having a talk in my office? After this experience you may need it."

"That sounds better than anything I ever heard from Q," said Bell. Deanna put an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, Deidra," Geordi cut in. "Do you want to join us for a poker game tonight?"

"I'd love to," she answered happily.

"Are you interested in the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle?" asked Data. "I could lend you several Sherlock Holmes novels if you wish."

"Yes, they're some of my favorites," she exclaimed, surprised at the android's taste.

"Ensign, I think you are well on your way to having some good, long-lasting friendships," said Captain Picard.

"And that," she said, "is the real power."

The End


End file.
